(Naveed Kamran Baloch, Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan)

The year 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA). It was back in 1996 when the Wafaqi Mohtasib (Federal Ombudsman) Pakistan along with other like-minded institutions got together to institutionalize a regional arrangement for promoting ombudsmanship in Asia. The First Asian Ombudsman Conference was convened at Islamabad on 15-16 April which led to the formation of the Asian Ombudsman Association. The sapling which was planted three decades ago, stands today as a dynamic and robust 47-member strong organization representing two thirds of the world population. Its evolution is indeed most remarkable, signifying maturity and confidence in the goals and objectives of ombudsmanship and a commitment to working together in the best interest of the Asian regional fraternity.
Today, we celebrate this remarkable journey of our Association, honouring the vision of its founders, the dedication of its members/office bearers and the spirit of the AOA family. Together, we have built a legacy of excellence and look forward to a future marked by continued growth, impact and success. The goalposts of our Association are well defined in Article 4 of its Bye Laws. The Asian Ombudsman Association, since its inception in 1996, has meticulously protected its fundamental character as “an independent, non-political, democratic and professional body”. Six out of nine objectives relate to specific activities aimed at promoting professionalism in the discharge of the functions of an ombudsman. The realization of these goals is an ongoing process and requires our best efforts, individually as well as collectively, to strengthen cooperation for upholding the ultimate goals of ombudsmanship.

The Asian Ombudsman Association has, over the years, acquired the institutional features necessary for a non-political professional body of international character upholding the shared goals of ombudsmanship in Asia and beyond. It holds an impressive record of eighteen International Conference on various themes of professional interests which are organized along with the General Assembly Meetings every second year. Additionally, many international events and conferences were organized at various capitals by the AOA institutions in 2025. Twenty-six meetings of the Association’s Board of Directors and eighteen meetings of its General Assembly held so far are reflective of its zeal to strengthen mutual cooperation. It is also a matter of immense satisfaction that 327 activities including training programmes, workshops, study visits and diverse performance related events were arranged by the membership last year. This figure may not reflect the complete extent of activities, yet its increase from 148 in 2024, is reflective of our strong commitment to the goals and objectives of the Association.
The AOA draws its strength from the professional credentials of its membership which holds to its credit, rich experience in ombudsmanship at the national level. It enjoys a unique status as many of its members are also represented in other bodies such as, the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), the OIC Ombudsman Association (OICOA), the European Ombudsman Institute and alike. The international standing of the Association is further reflected as the UN General Assembly Resolution 79/177 recognizes the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) among the active regional ombudsman bodies. The recent webinars organized by the AOA Secretariat on the themes identified by the said resolution highlighting the need to comply with international standards and complementarity between the goals of ombudsmanship and the SDGs reflect the abiding commitment of the Association to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
As we rejoice at the accomplishments of the Association over the last thirty years, we are cognizant of our responsibilities to working together in promoting the ultimate goals of good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is time to institutionalize sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices to foster a culture of efficiency, inclusivity and transparency in public administration with a view to safeguarding the citizen’s rights in our societies. In this regard, the institution of Wafaqi Mohtasib (Federal Ombudsman) Pakistan reiterates its commitment to the goals and objectives of our Association and expresses its unequivocal solidarity with the AOA family. It remains ready to further strengthen the role of AOA platform to promote cooperation in realizing the shared goals of ombudsmanship as per our mandated responsibilities.